


Lines Not Crossed

by Eclectic_Nerd



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV), Nak - Fandom
Genre: M/M, closure but not, present day, reconnecting, the others are briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 21:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16584236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eclectic_Nerd/pseuds/Eclectic_Nerd
Summary: Nick has been posting things about Ghost Adventures on his Instagram. Does this mean he is trying to reach out or is he just using the show for his own gain? Zak decides to find out.





	Lines Not Crossed

Zak had crossed a lot of lines in his 41 years on earth. He constantly hunts for spirits and provokes demons in the hopes that they will harm him. He’s had multiple attachments, a semi-possession and basically ruined his lungs with all the mold and asbestos from the dark, dirty places that the GAC has explored. He would not change any of that however as he loves what he does and enjoys pushing the envelope. He often thinks about the past and the people that he has met. Today however is different. He has opened a door that he cannot close and finds a line that he has never crossed. Quick flashes of previous adventures go through his mind. A hand on his back guiding him, a smile that could light up a room, catching each other’s eyes and the other person reacting nervously, each getting their first tattoo, someone being fidgety while being near, hips touching accidently, his wrist being touched then the memories changed to heated conversations and words being said that could never be taken back… Zak rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. He had to get up from his laptop and get away from the flood of memories.

When he walked away, he had left his Instagram open. The post that he was looking at was from Nick Groff. He had posted a message about the fact that Ghost Adventures had been on television for ten years and he had thanked the fans for continuing to support the show. A few pictures from the Hales Bar Marina and Dam episode were posted as well. Nick had tagged him and Aaron.

Zak grabbed Gracie’s leash and clipped it to her collar. He put his wallet and keys in his pocket but left his phone on the desk next to his laptop. He decided to take a long walk and as soon as he closed the door he got a message on his cell phone.

G(oodwin): Bro...did you see?

Shortly after he received another text.

Billy: I hope you’re not mad, dude.

Then a third text shortly after.

Jay: Are you okay?

When Aaron didn’t hear anything from Zak, he texted both Billy and Jay to see if they had heard from him. They both told him that they didn’t. Aaron also had a flood of memories and emotions. The breakup of the OG Ghost Adventures Crew still was painful. He had been torn as Nick had been his friend first but he is the one that seemed to betray them. Zak doesn’t like to talk about what had happened. He had been so angry and said some hurtful things to Nick and about Nick. Aaron decided that he would leave it alone for now and let Zak sort it out. Before he closed out of his Instagram, he quickly sent a DM to Nick that simply said, “Thanks, G.” He knew that Nick would not push for contact between them but he would know that Aaron was not angry anymore.

Zak and Gracie were enjoying the walk and just being outside in general. He often liked to block out the daylight but today it was doing him some good as it was clearing out the dark recesses of his mind. He was able to regain control of his mind and calm down. When he finally returned about an hour later, he had pushed Nick from his mind and went about his business. He saw his friends had texted him and so he quickly sent each of them a text telling them that he was good. None of them truly believed him but they decided to let it go and not to mention it unless Zak did. They knew that they would not talk about it because Zak was so stubborn. 

It was almost Halloween so Zak and the the Ghost Adventures crew were getting ready for the lockdown at Zak’s Haunted Museum. It was going to be a live event and Zak could not wait. He was at home spending some time with Gracie as he normally did. He decided to check out Instagram to see what was going on with the people the he followed. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that he had been tagged in a post. This post was from Nick. He decided to look at it and his heart started pounding. It was Nick wishing the GAC luck for their live lockdown at the museum. The picture posted was of Nick standing near the fence that had the sign for the museum. Nick looked so happy and Zak found that he could not stop looking at him. He was deciding if this was Nick's way of reaching out or if it was his way of getting more publicity when he suddenly cringed as if he had been shocked. The reason for this was because in his head he heard some words that he could never take back. 

Four years earlier:  
“Get out of my sight, Groff” Zak said angrily as he crossed his arms.

“Zak, please just listen to me. I want to explain.” Nick fidgeted.

“No need to explain...you made your choice and it doesn’t include me...us.” Zak’s voice got softer.

“I have my reasons and I want you to know.”

“I already told you that I don’t need to listen to you. Just go…”

“After all we’ve been through, you’re going to leave it like this?” Nick whined.

“Yes...after all we’ve been through…” Zak narrowed his eyes because he couldn’t believe that Nick had the audacity to act like he’s not the one who was walking away.

“Really?”

“I’m not the one who is leaving. I’ve had enough of this so please just go.”

“Zak…” Nick took a step closer to Zak, who took a step back.

“No, Nick...I want nothing to do with you.”

Nick looked devastated and Zak wanted to comfort him but then he remembered that Nick was the bad guy in this situation. To stop himself from going towards Nick, he turned his back on him.

“Zak...please...I’m sorry. I...” Nick couldn’t go on as he realized what he had done.

“I don’t want to hear your apologies. I just want you to go. Go with the knowledge that I will never forgive you or speak to you again.”

Zak heard a stangled cry as if Nick had put a hand over his mouth. He then heard Nick quietly retreat from the room and close the door. Zak was shaking and he found a chair to sit on. He just sat there until Aaron found him and dragged him out of there. Zak’s life had not been the same since. The show continued to do well but he always felt something was missing.

Present day:  
Zak realized that he had feelings for Nick during their investigation at the Goldfield Hotel way back in 2004 when he couldn’t find Nick. He always knew that he found Nick handsome but he didn’t want to acknowledge those feelings since Nick was married. He lived with those feelings for ten years and had not been attracted to another man since. Zak was not an openly affectionate person but Nick made him soft because of his more gentle nature. But this was the line that he could not and would not ever cross because he respected the vows that Nick had taken. He also knew that Nick did not feel the same way about him. He once again received texts from his friends and he told them that he would take care of it. None of them knew what to say.

Zak realized that he couldn’t keep pushing the past away. He knew all too well in his line of work what happens when things are forgotten and ignored. He clicked on the message option and sat there for a good twenty minutes looking at the blinking cursor that seemed to be taunting him with it’s flashing. He finally typed the message that should have been sent years ago. It simply said: “G, we need to talk.” It took him another five minutes to actually click the send button. Zak sat back in his chair and sighed. Gracie looked up from her nap at him. 

“Well, girl. Now we just wait and see what happen.” She wagged her tail as a reply.

Halloween night came and the investigation went well. The GAC got some great evidence and they had a good time. Zak took a few days to nurse his lockdown hangover like he normally does. Once he felt refreshed, he was ready for work.

Zak still had not received a reply from Nick and Nick stopped posting things on his Instagram about Ghost Adventures. For some reason that made Zak both annoyed and sad at the same time.  
“Sure Groff, you probably did that for publicity. You never meant it.” Zak angrily thought for the tenth time in a couple days. He got mad that he even was getting angry about this. He decided that he couldn’t control the situation and needed to just let it go. It was up to Nick now.

What Zak didn’t know was that Nick did not know how to reply to the message. He had been busy but was panicking about the reply.

Later on that day when Zak logged into Instagram, he froze as he saw that he had a message. He took a deep breath and pushed the message icon. He read the words: “I would like that.” Zak felt a huge sense of relief and let out the breath that he had been holding. He suddenly felt nervous but then remembered that things with Nick had always been easy. It might be awkward at first but it would work itself out. Zak sent a quick message back just giving Nick his address, a date and a time. Zak knew that it was not fair to meet on his turf but that was where he felt safest and after all that Nick had done, he was owed this. He had told Nick not to reply to just show up if he meant it. The day and time he selected was 11/5 at 7:00pm. He wasn’t even sure if Nick could come.

Zak told the guys about what he had done and they all felt relieved that this was finally happening. They all felt that it was about time. Zak was a but tense to say the least leading up to the day and time that he had set for his first meeting with Nick in years. He could not relax and had a short temper. Luckily his friends understood what made him tick and did not take person offense to it. Gracie could tell something was going on and she even stuck to his side more than normal. She was being velcro.

The day finally arrived. He decided that it would be best for him to stay away from people until Nick either came over or didn’t. He kept himself busy doing work and working out. Around six, he took a shower and got dressed in a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt that made the blue in his eyes pop. He styled his hair and sprayed on cologne. He wondered why he was going to all this trouble but deep down he knew why. Nick could still give him butterflies and make his heart skip a beat so he wanted to look his best. He went downstairs but could not sit still. He got up and paced. Finally it was seven and he looked at the door but he heard nothing. He watched the door for about ten minutes but no one knocked. He hung his head and felt a whole rush of emotions. He decided to take Gracie out for a quick walk. After he got his shoes on and reached for her leash, he opened the door and on his steps sat none other than Nick Groff.

“Nick?” Nick stood up suddenly and looked met Zak’s eyes. Nick was also dressed in black jeans and a black shirt. He still had the same gentle brown eyes but he had a beard instead of a mustache a goatee. He looked embarrassed to be caught.

“I’m, uh, sorry. I was trying to get the courage up to knock.”

“You’ve been sitting out here since 7?”  
“Yeah.” Nick replied and looked down at his black motorcycle boots.

Zak was so surprised at seeing him in person and was not ready for how he would feel. He recovered from his shock and invited Nick in.

“Come on in.”

Nick followed Zak inside. He bent down to take off his shoes. It was a habit he had from when they used to hang out in the past. Old habits die hard. Zak decided to kick off his shoes as well.

“Nice place. I’m glad that you are away from the dungeon.”

“Thanks.” Zak laughed. He knew that Nick truly meant that as he always worried about Zak in his old house. The stood in the hallway awkwardly for a little while before Zak led him into the kitchen. He offered him some water, which Nick gratefully accepted. Zak watched in fascination at Nick and couldn’t take his eyes off of him and his bobbing adam’s apple. He quickly looked away when Nick was done. 

“So…” they both said at once. Nick gestured towards Zak to go first.

“How have you been?”

“Good man, things have been good. The girls are growing fast. How about you?”

“Same shit different day, dude but I’m having fun.” 

“Just another day in the life of Ghost Adventures, huh?” They both laughed and that broke the ice. They talked for a while about life and their projects. It was almost like old times. They realized that they needed to take care of the true purpose of Nick’s visit.

“Nick, you know why I asked you to come here. I have been stubborn and unforgiving but I want to give you what I refused to give you all those years ago.”

“I deserved it.” Nick said quietly. He put his head down and when he looked up again, his eyes were brimming with tears. Zak felt those emotions pull him in and was deeply affected by this. Nick was not one to show emotions like this. “What did you want to give me?”

“The chance to explain.” Zak said a like huskily and cleared his throat.

Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had imagined this moment for so long. He had planned what he wanted to say and thought about how Zak would react. It seemed like a dream for so long that now that it was happening, he was not sure what to say. All he knew was that he had to speak from the heart. He opened his eyes and looked at Zak. The words started flowing.

“I know what I did was wrong but I got scared. We were putting ourselves into to extreme danger. The Zozo Demon House was the last straw. You seemed to not care what happened to me. I have a family and I didn’t want to put them in danger. It also seemed like you were tired of me and wanted to get rid of me. I jumped ship because I didn’t want to watch our friendship end. I was tired of being pushed away.” He paused as he needed to build up the courage to finally say what he wanted and needed to say.

“Nick, I was never tired of you…I thought you were tired of me. I understand the need to protect your family.” Zak started to say.

“I’m not done, can I finish please?” Nick was forceful without being aggressive. Zak nodded.

“The main reason for me running away because let’s face it, that’s what I did was because my feelings were getting the best of me. I’ll be blunt with you Zak...I loved you, still love you but I knew that I couldn’t have anything with you because you didn’t feel that way about me. I was tired of torturing myself about you. I hated when the guests flirted or touched you. I even got jealous of the spirits who touched you. Even if I knew that you liked me, I know that you would have not crossed that line as you respect my marriage.” Nick paused again as he spoke really fast and Zak needed a moment to process what he said.

Since Zak was not saying anything, Nick took it as a bad thing so he got out of his chair. “I’ll let myself out. I might have ruined any chance of reconciling with you but I just wanted you to know the truth.” He said quietly. “Thank you for having me over and allowing me to talk to you.” Nick turned to walk away and this time the tears were actually falling down his cheeks. He was suddenly stopped by a strong hand catching his wrist.

“You don’t get to tell me that you love me and walk again.” This voice said shakily. Nick looked at Zak and realized that tears were running down his face, too. Nick was suddenly pulled towards Zak and wrapped up into a tight embrace. Although Nick was a little taller he rested his forehead against Zak’s shoulder and hugged him back. “I love you, too Nick. I always have and I think that I always will.” he whispered in Nick’s ear. Neither of them knew what was going to happen in the next few minutes but that didn’t matter at the moment as the moment that mattered was this hug.

As they hugged, they both realized what they were missing. Being near and with each other was comfortable. More importantly it was home and Zak was finally ready to cross the uncrossable line because it felt right.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Nak fanfiction and I apologize if it's cheesy as hell. I had to write it to deal with the feelings that I have been having since Nick truly was posting Ghost Adventures stuff on his Instagram. It made me nostalgic and sad and upset and happy. I hope that someone enjoys it.


End file.
